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As 4K resolution enters the home theater, more and more users are also starting to want to see more smart projectors, thus improving the convenience of projectors and making them more suitable for home use. This article will compare the BenQ HT3550i and the Dangbei Mars Pro, two leading brands of 4K projectors, so you can see what features they have that make them worth buying.
As 4K projectors, both are not exactly lightweight, but they're not heavy either, so you can put them on a table or mount them to a wall for use in a way that suits your home environment and usage habits.
The BenQ HT3550i host body is white and the front panel is coffee-colored. The overall shape is similar to other BenQ models, and the appearance design seems to have never been a factor of concern for BenQ. There are knobs for adjusting focus (BenQ HT3550i requires manual focus) and buttons on the top of the projector.
On the other hand, the Dangbei Mars Pro projector has a more fashionable design and the projector has won an IF Award and a Red Dot Design Award. The projector is black with gray and uses 2.5D nano-coated glass + aviation aluminum + IML suspension front panel, making the machine shiny but not easy to scratch. Since Mars Pro supports global autofocus, no additional knobs are needed, and the basic touchscreen buttons make the top of the machine even cleaner.
The BenQ HT3550i projector supports manual focus and automatic vertical keystone correction, which won't be particularly troublesome to install, but can't be said to be very convenient if you compare it to the Dangbei Mars Pro, which supports fully automatic keystone correction and global autofocus, giving you a full, clear 4K picture without you having to do anything. It also offers Auto Screen Alignment and Obstacle Avoidance, so even if you have obstacles like sockets on the wall, the projector will find the best-positioned picture on its own.
The BenQ HT3550i has a brightness of 2000 ANSI lumens and performs well in darker rooms or environments with less ambient light, but it is not a good choice if you want to use it in a bright room or during the day. the Dangbei Mars Pro is brighter than the HT3550i, outputting 3200 ANSI Lumens, thanks to the use of ALPD laser fluorescent display technology.
The laser light source lasts longer than ordinary bulb light sources while reproducing truer colors and brighter images, providing excellent performance even in daylight or in rooms with more ambient light. Mars Pro is certified by CESI and TÜV Rheinland for low blue light, which can effectively filter harmful blue light, reduce visual fatigue and take care of your eyes.
Both projectors are equipped with two built-in speakers, the HT3550i with two 5W speakers and the Mars Pro with two 10W speakers, and support Dolby Audio and DTS HD for cinema-quality sound.
As for the smart system and streaming apps that everyone cares about, both projectors satisfy. The BenQ HT3550i comes with an Android TV stick, which can be installed on the top of the projector where you can use Google Play to find the apps you need. Dangbei Mars Pro, on the other hand, has a built-in Android 9.0-based Emotn OS, which is a perfect alternative to Google Play, allowing users more privacy without having to sign in. Plus the projector comes with a huge 4GB+128 GB of memory, which can support users to download more content without worrying about the system not running smoothly.
Both 4K projectors excel in image clarity, but the BenQ HT3550i does not perform as well as the Dangbei Mars Pro in situations where there is a lot of ambient light, as the difference in brightness is noticeable. The two projectors are both smart projectors with stream media, but the Dangbei Mars Pro has more memory plus smart technologies like Auto Screen Alignment and Obstacle Avoidance, making the Mars Pro a better value for the same price.
1. Appearance Design
As 4K projectors, both are not exactly lightweight, but they're not heavy either, so you can put them on a table or mount them to a wall for use in a way that suits your home environment and usage habits.
The BenQ HT3550i host body is white and the front panel is coffee-colored. The overall shape is similar to other BenQ models, and the appearance design seems to have never been a factor of concern for BenQ. There are knobs for adjusting focus (BenQ HT3550i requires manual focus) and buttons on the top of the projector.
On the other hand, the Dangbei Mars Pro projector has a more fashionable design and the projector has won an IF Award and a Red Dot Design Award. The projector is black with gray and uses 2.5D nano-coated glass + aviation aluminum + IML suspension front panel, making the machine shiny but not easy to scratch. Since Mars Pro supports global autofocus, no additional knobs are needed, and the basic touchscreen buttons make the top of the machine even cleaner.
2. Installation
The BenQ HT3550i projector supports manual focus and automatic vertical keystone correction, which won't be particularly troublesome to install, but can't be said to be very convenient if you compare it to the Dangbei Mars Pro, which supports fully automatic keystone correction and global autofocus, giving you a full, clear 4K picture without you having to do anything. It also offers Auto Screen Alignment and Obstacle Avoidance, so even if you have obstacles like sockets on the wall, the projector will find the best-positioned picture on its own.
3. Picture Quality and Sound
The BenQ HT3550i has a brightness of 2000 ANSI lumens and performs well in darker rooms or environments with less ambient light, but it is not a good choice if you want to use it in a bright room or during the day. the Dangbei Mars Pro is brighter than the HT3550i, outputting 3200 ANSI Lumens, thanks to the use of ALPD laser fluorescent display technology.
The laser light source lasts longer than ordinary bulb light sources while reproducing truer colors and brighter images, providing excellent performance even in daylight or in rooms with more ambient light. Mars Pro is certified by CESI and TÜV Rheinland for low blue light, which can effectively filter harmful blue light, reduce visual fatigue and take care of your eyes.
Both projectors are equipped with two built-in speakers, the HT3550i with two 5W speakers and the Mars Pro with two 10W speakers, and support Dolby Audio and DTS HD for cinema-quality sound.
4. System
As for the smart system and streaming apps that everyone cares about, both projectors satisfy. The BenQ HT3550i comes with an Android TV stick, which can be installed on the top of the projector where you can use Google Play to find the apps you need. Dangbei Mars Pro, on the other hand, has a built-in Android 9.0-based Emotn OS, which is a perfect alternative to Google Play, allowing users more privacy without having to sign in. Plus the projector comes with a huge 4GB+128 GB of memory, which can support users to download more content without worrying about the system not running smoothly.
5. Summary
Both 4K projectors excel in image clarity, but the BenQ HT3550i does not perform as well as the Dangbei Mars Pro in situations where there is a lot of ambient light, as the difference in brightness is noticeable. The two projectors are both smart projectors with stream media, but the Dangbei Mars Pro has more memory plus smart technologies like Auto Screen Alignment and Obstacle Avoidance, making the Mars Pro a better value for the same price.
